System and Method for Displaying and Searching Multimedia Events Scheduling Information

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are computer implemented method, systems, and non-transitory media for presenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents a first set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first size. The second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events. This second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/496,000, filed Jun. 13, 2012, entitled “System and Method forDisplaying and Searching Multimedia Events Scheduling Information” whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/618,653, filedDec. 29, 2006, also entitled “System and Method for Displaying andSearching Multimedia Events Scheduling Information,” now U.S. Pat. No.8,205,230, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the presentation ofmultimedia events scheduling information, and in particular, to a systemand method of searching and presenting results related to multimediaevents scheduling information.

Many web pages provide a schedule of upcoming programs of televisionsshows, and many of those web pages display the schedule of upcomingshows on a grid having a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. Typically,the horizontal axis of the grid corresponds to time (e.g., time of theday, days of the week, etc.) and the vertical axis corresponds totelevision channels. A typical way to navigate through this grid is byscrolling horizontally in time to past or future shows and by scrollingup and down to view different channels.

Many times, if a user wants to search for a television show on some ofthese web pages, no search engine is provided, and therefore the searchmust be performed manually by scrolling the program grid until either auser-sought item is found or the user gives up in frustration.Furthermore, when a search engine is provided, the search results appearas a list of televisions shows that correspond to the search query.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments a computer implemented method,performed by a computer system having one or more processors and memorystoring one or more programs for execution by the one or moreprocessors, is provided. The method comprises presenting informationrepresenting a plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first grid and(ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents afirst set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-boundedevents. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first sizeand represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality oftime-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded events includes agreater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-boundedevents.

In some embodiments, the information representing a plurality oftime-bound events is responsive to a search query, and the searchresults of the search query are presented in the second grid and asubset of the search results is presented in the first grid using apredefined scheme for visually identifying the search results and asubset of the search results. In some such embodiments, the predefinedscheme is a color scheme for displaying different subsets of the searchresults using different colors. In some such embodiments, the predefinedscheme is a highlighting scheme for displaying different subsets of thesearch results using highlighting methods.

In some embodiments, the information representing a plurality oftime-bound events is responsive to a search query. In some suchembodiments, the search results are presented in the second grid using apredefined scheme for visually distinguishing the search results inaccordance with relevance to the search query and events presented inthe first grid that correspond to the search results are visuallydistinguish in accordance with the predefined scheme. In some suchembodiments, the predefined scheme includes visual distinctions betweensearch results having different levels of relevance.

In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprisesscheduled presentations of multimedia content. In some embodiments theplurality of time-bounded events comprises television shows scheduledfor broadcast in a predefined time period. In some embodiments, an axisof the first grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of thesecond grid corresponds to time.

In some embodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises dataresulting from a search of a database in accordance with a search query.In some such embodiments, the search query is a user specified searchquery. In some such embodiments, the search query comprises a predefinedsearch query.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises responding to a useraction of hovering a pointer over time-bounded event displayed in thesecond grid by displaying additional information corresponding to thetime-bounded event. In some embodiments, the method further comprisesacquiring additional data from a server corresponding to the displayedadditional information.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a system forpresenting information representing a plurality of time-bounded events,comprising memory, one or more processors, and one or more modulesstored in memory and configured for execution by the one or moreprocessors. The one or modules comprising instructions for presentingthe information representing the plurality of time-bounded events in (i)a first grid and (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size andrepresents a first set of time-bounded events in the plurality oftime-bounded events. The second grid has a second size smaller than thefirst size and represents a second set of time-bounded events in theplurality of time-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded eventsincludes a greater number of time-bounded events than the first set oftime-bounded events. In some embodiments, the information representing aplurality of time-bound events is responsive to a search query, wherethe search results of the search query are presented in the second gridand a subset of the search results is presented in the first grid usinga predefined scheme for visually identifying the search results and asubset of the search results. In some embodiments, the predefined schemeincludes visual distinctions between search results having differentlevels of relevance. In some embodiments, the plurality of time-boundedevents comprises scheduled presentations of multimedia content. In someembodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises televisionshows scheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period. In someembodiments, an axis of the first grid corresponds to televisionchannels and an axis of the second grid corresponds to time. In someembodiments, the plurality of time-bounded events comprises dataresulting from a search of a database in accordance with a search query.In some embodiments, the search query is a user specified search query.In some embodiments, the search query comprises a predefined searchquery. In some embodiments, the one or more modules further includeinstructions for responding to a user action of hovering a pointer overa search result of the second grid by displaying additional informationcorresponding to the time-bounded event. In some embodiments, the one ormore modules further comprise instructions for acquiring additional datafrom a server corresponding to the displayed additional information.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium storing one or more programs forexecution by one or more processors of a computer system for presentinginformation representing a plurality of time-bounded events. The one ormore programs comprising instructions for presenting the informationrepresenting the plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first gridand (ii) a second grid. The first grid has a first size and represents afirst set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-boundedevents. The second grid has a second size smaller than the first sizeand represents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality oftime-bounded events. The second set of time-bounded events includes agreater number of time-bounded events than the first set of time-boundedevents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for implementing some embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a process for presenting a collection ofdata according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B depicts a second embodiment of the calendar portion of theschematic screenshot of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3D is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to yet another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3E is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to still yet another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3F is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary client computer or device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary server in accordance with someembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of a database structure according to someembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of a database structure according to otherembodiments of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for implementing someembodiments of the present invention. One or more client computers ordevices 102 (hereinafter “clients”) can be connected to a communicationnetwork 104. The communication network 104 may be connected to a server106. The server 106 may include a web interface 108 and a multimediaevents database 110. The web interface 108 facilitates communicationbetween the server 106 and the communication network 104. The webinterface 108 allows for the transfer of information from the server 106to the communication network 104 to be displayed on a client application112 of a client 102. The multimedia events database 110 storesinformation associated with multimedia events. In some embodiments,these events may time-bounded events, such as television shows scheduledfor broadcast on a particular day, at a particular time.

The client 102 may be any of a number of devices (e.g. a computer, aninternet kiosk, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, a desktopcomputer, or a laptop computer) and can include a client application 112that permits a user to view web pages 114 or other documents orinformation. The client application 112 may be a software applicationthat permits a user to interact with the client 102 and/or networkresources to perform one or more tasks. For example, the clientapplication 112 may be a web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Exploreror Safari) or other type of application that permits a user to searchfor, browse, and/or use resources, such as one or more web pages 114, onthe client 102 and/or accessible via the communication network 104.

The communication network 104 may be a local area network (LAN), ametropolitan area network, a wide area network (WAN), such as anintranet, an extranet, or the Internet, or any combination of suchnetworks. It is sufficient that the communication network 104 providescommunication capability between the clients 102 and the server 106. Insome embodiments, the communication network 104 uses HyperText TransportProtocol (HTTP) to transport information using the Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The HTTP permits client computersto access various resources available via the communication network 104.The various embodiments of the invention, however, are not limited tothe use of any particular protocol. The term “resource” as usedthroughout this specification refers to any document, object,information item, set of information, or service that is accessible viaa Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and can be, for example, a web page, atext or word processing document, an email message, a transcribed voicemessage, a database, an image, a computational object, or other type offile.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a process 200 for presenting a collection ofdata according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process200 occurs at a client device, on a client application that permits auser to view web pages or other documents or information. The process200 begins by a user-initiated action on the client application, whichresults in an opening of a “landing page” or a presentation of searchresults 202. For example, the user may enter a particular UniformResource Locator (URL) for a specific web page, which results in theopening of a landing page. A landing page is typically the home page oran entryway page for an online service. As another example, the user mayenter a search query into an online search engine, such as the Googlesearch engine, which results in the presentation of search results.

The process 200 may comprise operations that occur simultaneously. Oneof these operations steps is to present a subset of a collection of dataon a first grid having a first axis and a second axis 204. The firstaxis corresponds to units of time, and the collection of data includesdata representing time-bounded events. Examples of time-bounded eventsare television programs, movies (e.g., movies broadcast by televisionsignal, satellite or cable), and sporting events (e.g., sporting eventsbroadcast by television signal, satellite or cable) that have ascheduled start time and duration. A second operation is to present asecond grid having first and second axes that correspond to the firstand second axes of the first grid 206. The second grid corresponds to alarger portion of the collection of data than the subset that ispresented on the first grid. In other words, the second grid displays alarger portion of the collection of data. However, even the second gridmay display a subset of the collection. A third operation is to presenta user-movable window for selecting a portion of the second grid and forselecting the subset presented on the first grid in accordance with acurrent position of the window 208.

In some embodiments, if a landing page is already opened or if searchresults are already presented (e.g., in a search results page), theprocess 200 may begin by a user-initiated movement of the movable windowin the second grid, or a new user-initiated search 210. The user-movablewindow is within the second grid and movable in any planar directionwithin the second grid. As the user-movable window is moved within thesecond grid, the events being displayed on the first grid changeaccordingly. In other words, the portion that is contained within theuser-movable window of the second grid is displayed on the first grid ina larger view.

FIG. 3A is a schematic screenshot of a web browser 300 presenting a webpage 302 that displays a collection of data according to an embodimentof the present invention. The web browser 300 represents a typical webbrowser and can be any type of browser that permits a user to displayand interact with web pages or other documents or information. The webbrowser 300 comprises a URL field 304 for entering the URL of any webpage that a user wants to display, as well as for displaying the URL ofthe web page currently being displayed. The user may begin the process200 as shown in FIG. 2 by entering a specific URL in the URL field 304.As illustrated in this figure, the web browser 300 displays an exemplaryweb page 302. Web page 302 comprises a search field 306 with acorresponding search button 307 (for initiating a search for informationcorresponding to the search query entered in the search field 306), amain map 308, and a results panel 310.

The main map 308 may be a grid representing scheduled multimedia eventsbeing broadcast on a particular day. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the mainmap 308 is a grid displaying television programs being broadcasted on aparticular day. A calendar 312 displays a grid representing a range ofdates. The date of the events shown in main map 308 is indicated by ahighlighted date 314 in the calendar 312. The date 314 may behighlighted by surrounding it with a box, as shown in FIG. 3A, or thetext of the date may be displayed in a different color than the otherdates, or the “whitespace” around the date may be a different color thanthe whitespace around the other dates in the calendar 312. In otherembodiments, the calendar may also be represented in a different mannerFor example, the calendar may be represented by a horizontal bardisplaying the days of the week as shown in FIG. 3B.

As mentioned above, the main map 308 may be a grid representingscheduled multimedia events (also called time-bounded events), such astelevision shows, being broadcast on a particular day. The informationshown on the grid includes basic information (sometimes called “lowresolution data” or “low resolution information”) about the scheduledevents, such as event names (e.g., show names and/or episode titles fortelevision shows). In some embodiments, when a user hovers a pointerover an event name within the main map 308, additional information(sometimes called “medium resolution data” or “medium resolutioninformation”) may be displayed. Such medium resolution data may includechannel, time of broadcast, duration or end time, and a summary or shortdescription of the event corresponding to the user selected event name.Furthermore, in some embodiments, when a user selects an event withinthe main map 308, another webpage with more detailed information(sometimes called “high resolution data” or “high resolutioninformation”) about the event may open. Additionally, when a userselects an event from results 316 in the list of results in the resultspanel 310, the detailed high resolution information for theuser-selected event may also be displayed. The user may select an eventfrom results 316 by selecting (e.g., clicking on) an event name in theresults 316, such as the title of a television show or the title of thetelevision show episode.

A database structure for storing the low resolution data, mediumresolution data and the high resolution data is described below withreference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the main map 308 has two axes. Thefirst (horizontal) axis represents time of day and the second (vertical)axis represents television channels. A miniature map 318 (hereinafter a“MiniMap”) is also displayed. In some embodiments, the MiniMap 318partially overlaps and is displayed within the main map 308. However, inother embodiments, the MiniMap may be displayed in any location onwebpage 302. The MiniMap 318 includes two axes, both corresponding tothe same axes of the main map 308. A first (horizontal) axis of theMiniMap 318 represents time of day and a second (vertical) axis of theMiniMap 318 represents television channels.

The MiniMap 318 includes a dynamic scrolling feature 320, also called auser-movable window. Unlike the scrolling features that are common totypical web browsers or web pages that only move up and down, thedynamic scrolling feature 320 is movable in any planar direction withinthe MiniMap 318. The dynamic scrolling feature 320 is used to selectportions of the MiniMap 318 to be displayed in a larger view on the mainmap 308. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, for example, the contents withindynamic scrolling feature 320 of the MiniMap 310 are displayed in alarger view on the main map 308. If a user moves the dynamic scrollingfeature 320 in any direction within the MiniMap 318, the contents withinthe dynamic scrolling feature 320 are changed and therefore, thecontents being displayed on the main map 308 are also changedaccordingly.

In some embodiments, a user may enter a search term in the search field306. The search conducted is a search for multimedia events, such astelevision shows, occurring within a predefined time period. The searchresults are displayed as a list of results 316 in the results panel 310.The search results are also highlighted within both the main map 308 andthe MiniMap 318. The term “highlight” is used here to mean displaying ina visually distinctive manner, such as changing one or more of thefollowing: background color, changing background fill pattern, bolding,underlining, font color, font, etc. Furthermore, the term “highlight”means generating formatting information for displaying something (e.g.,a specified portion of text) in a distinctive manner.

For example, if a user wants to perform a search for comedy shows, theuser would enter “comedy” in the search field 306 and select searchbutton 307. The results of that search are displayed in a grid, whichshows the schedule of televisions shows being broadcast over a period oftime. Additionally the shows that fall into the comedy category would behighlighted on the grid. Optionally, television shows that match thesearch query may also be listed in the results panel 310. The results ofthe search are also displayed in the main map 308 as highlighted cells(e.g., cell 322) and in the MiniMap 318 as mini highlighted cells 321.In some embodiments, when a user hovers a pointer over one of the minihighlighted cells 321, corresponding labels are displayed on thevertical and horizontal axes of the MiniMap 318.

FIG. 3C is a schematic screenshot of another embodiment of web browser300 presenting a web page 302 that displays a collection of dataaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Similar to thepreviously described embodiment, the web browser 300 represents atypical web browser and can be any type of browser that permits a userto display and interact with web pages or other documents orinformation. The web browser 300 includes many of the aspects of theprevious embodiment as shown in FIG. 3A.

In the embodiment depicted by FIG. 3C, a MiniMap 330 is displayed. TheMiniMap 330 corresponds to the main map 308 in a different way than theMiniMap 318 of FIG. 3A. Here, the MiniMap 330 includes two axes, both ofwhich represent time. A first axis represents days of the week and asecond axis represents time of day. For example, as illustrated in FIG.3C, a user may perform a search by entering “comedy” into the searchfield 306. The results of that search would display televisions showsthat fall into the comedy category. Such television shows may be listedin the results panel 310, as also shown in FIG. 3A. The results of thesearch are also displayed in the main map 308 as highlighted cells 322Aand 322B representing the events that are related to comedy programs.Additionally, the MiniMap 330 displays comedy events occurring over aperiod of many days. The MiniMap 330 displays the corresponding searchresults as search results 332 and related events 334.

The embodiment depicted in FIG. 3C provides a different representationof the search results than the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3A. Here, auser would be able to see that comedy events reoccur at certain timesover a period of several days.

It is noted that the main map 308 may be considered to be a virtualwindow that is positioned over a portion of the collection of dataavailable for viewing. When a user selects an item in the MiniMap 330,the user is effectively selecting a set of events that are thendisplayed in the main map 308. The time range and the channel orcollection range for the main map 308 are updated to include the userselected item in the MiniMap 330. The main map 308 will also display“neighboring items,” that fall within the time range and channel orcollection range for the main map 308. Another way to view this is thatthe virtual window represented by the main map 308 is repositioned overthe collection data in response to user selection of an item (e.g., asearch result 332 or a related event 334) in the MiniMap 330, eventhough the main map 308's display position in the web page 302 remainsunchanged. In this way the MiniMap 330 is a tool that the user can useto dynamically change and reposition the display of the main map 308.

FIG. 3D depicts the display of medium resolution information 352 whenthe user hovers a pointer 350 over an event title (e.g., a televisionshow title) in the main map 308, such as the event title in highlightedcell 322A. In some embodiments, the display of the medium resolutioninformation ceases immediately or shortly after the user moves thepointer 350 away from the event title.

Additionally, in some embodiments, if a user hovers a pointer over oneof the search results 332 or related events 334 in the MiniMap 330,additional information (e.g. medium resolution information), such asevent title and time of broadcast, may be displayed.

FIG. 3E depicts the display of high resolution information 354 in aniframe 356 (also called an inline frame) when the user selects (e.g.,clicks on) an event title (e.g., a television show title) using a mouseof other user-controller pointer. The iframe partially blocks thelanding page or search results page 360 that includes the main grid 308.Additional high resolution information may be displayed when a usermanipulates scroll bar 359 by moving it in a vertical motion. In otherembodiments, as an alternative to providing a scroll bar to presentadditional high resolution information, a “more” link may be presentedin the iframe 356. If a user selects the “more” link, the webpage maypresent additional high resolution information in the iframe 356. Inother embodiments that use other types of browsers that do no implementinline frames such as iframe 356, an equivalent implementation may beutilized for the same purpose. In some embodiments, the iframe 356 isclosed and the display of the high resolution information 354 ceaseswhen the user closes the iframe 356 (by clicking on a close frame icon358) or when the user clicks on the landing page or search results page.

FIG. 3F is a schematic screenshot of a web browser presenting acollection of data according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. According to this embodiment, a webpage 360 includes many ofthe same items as seen in the earlier figures, such as a URL field 304,a search field 306 with a corresponding search button 307, a main map308, and a results panel 310. The webpage 360 may also contain a MiniMap318 or MiniMap 330 (also shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D). In some embodiments,the webpage 360 may also include a time bar 362. The time bar 362 may beused to navigate to various times of the day by selecting a respectivebox 363 within the time bar 362 or by selecting one of the arrows 364within the time bar 362. In some embodiments, the boxes 363 and arrows364 may be represented by any other symbol or shape. In someembodiments, time bar 362 may be another representation of the calendar312 as shown in the previous figures, or the calendar as shown in FIG.3B.

As shown in FIG. 3F, in some embodiments, when a user performs a searchby entering a query in the search field 306 and selecting the searchbutton 307, the results panel 310 lists corresponding results listingshow or program title, as well as additional information such as timeand date of broadcast of the shows or programs. If a user selects themore link 380, the webpage may display high resolution informationregarding one or more selected shows or programs.

In some embodiments, the main map 308 may show all channels regardlessof the search results. In other embodiments, the main map 308 may showpredefined channels, such as channels that the user has previouslyidentified or selected, which may be known as the user's “favoritechannels.” In yet other embodiments, the main map 308 may show onlythose channels that contain at least one show that matches the searchquery.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary client computer or device inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The client102 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 402, one ormore network or other communications interfaces 404, memory 406, and oneor more communication buses 408 for interconnecting these components.The communication buses 408 may include circuitry (sometimes called achipset) that interconnects and controls communications between systemcomponents. The client 102 optionally may include a user interface 410comprising a display device 412 and a keyboard 414. Memory 406 includeshigh-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or otherrandom access solid state memory devices; and may include non-volatilememory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical diskstorage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid statestorage devices. Memory 406 may optionally include one or more storagedevices remotely located from the CPU(s) 402. In some embodiments,memory 406 stores the following programs, modules and data structures,or a subset thereof:

-   -   an operating system 416 that includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing hardware        dependent tasks;    -   a network communication module 418 that is used for connecting        the client 102 to other computers via the one or more        communication network interfaces 404 and one or more        communication networks, such as the Internet, other wide area        networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and        so on;    -   a client application 112 (e.g., a browser application) that can        permit a user to interact with the client 102 as described        above;    -   one or more web pages 114 that may be displayed by the client        application 112;    -   a local database 420 for storing information, such as multimedia        information;    -   MiniMap data 422; and    -   a browser extension for displaying multimedia information 424.

In some embodiments, the browser extension for displaying multimediainformation 424 includes a database manager 426, a display module 428and a search module 430. The database manager 426 handles informationbeing stored on the local database. The search module 430 is forconveying a search query entered by a user to search engine or otheronline service, such as the server 106 described elsewhere in thisdocument.

The display module 428 facilitates the display of information on twogrids, a main grid and a MiniMap grid, as described above. In someembodiments, the display module includes a main map display module 432,a MiniMap display module 434, a dynamic scrolling module 436, an eventinformation display module 438, and a results panel display module 440.

The main map display module 432 and the MiniMap display module 434determines how the main map and MiniMap are displayed on the web page.The dynamic scrolling module 436 controls the function of the dynamicscrolling feature 320 of the MiniMap 318. The event information displaymodule 438 enables the display of information when a user selects anevent that is displayed on the main map. The results panel displaymodule 440 displays the results of a search query.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary server 106 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention. The server 106 typicallyincludes one or more processing units (CPUs) 502, one or more network orother communication interfaces 504, memory 506, and one or morecommunication buses 508 for interconnecting these components. Thecommunication buses 508 may include circuitry (sometimes called achipset) that interconnects and controls communications between systemcomponents. The server 106 optionally may include a user interface (notshown). Memory 506 includes high-speed random access memory, such asDRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state storage devices;and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic diskstorage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, orother non-volatile solid state storage devices. Memory 506 mayoptionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from theCPU(s) 502. In some embodiments, memory 506 stores the followingprograms, modules, and data structures, or a subset thereof:

-   -   an operating system 510 that includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing hardware        dependent tasks;    -   a network communication module 512 that is used for connecting        the server 106 to other computers via the one or more        communication network interfaces 504 and one or more        communication networks, such as the Internet, other wide area        networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and        so on;    -   a web interface 108;    -   a multimedia events database 110;    -   a search module 514; and    -   an optional query server interface 516.

As described above, the web interface 108 facilitates communicationbetween the server 106 and the communication network 104 and allows forthe transfer of information from the server 106 to the communicationnetwork 104 to be displayed on a client application 112 of a client 102.The multimedia events database 110 stores information associated withmultimedia events. The server 106 may also comprise a search module 514for conducting searches of the multimedia events database 110.

In some embodiments, memory 506 includes a query server interface 516.The query server interface 516 receives queries from another server,such as a query server, and returns search results to that other server.For instance, a query server may direct a search query from a user tomultiple databases, including the multimedia events database 110, andthen send search results from one or more of those databases to theuser.

Each of the above identified elements in FIGS. 4 and 5 may be stored inone or more of the previously mentioned memory devices, and correspondsto a set of instructions for performing a function described above. Theabove-identified modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) neednot be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules,and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwiserearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 406 and506 may sore a subset of the modules and data structures identifiedabove. Furthermore memory 406 and 506 may store additional modules anddata structures not described above.

Although FIGS. 4 and 5 show respectively a client 102 and a server 106,the figures are intended more as functional descriptions of the variousfeatures which may be present in a client and set of servers than as astructural schematic of the embodiments therein. In practice, and asrecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separatelycould be combined and come items could be separated. For example, someitems shown separately in FIG. 5 could be implemented on a single serverand single items could be implemented by one or more servers. The actualnumber of server used to implement a server 106 and how features areallocated among them will vary from one implementation to another, andmay depend in part on the amount of data traffic that the system musthandle during peak usage periods as well as during average usageperiods.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of a database structure 600 according to someembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, databasestructure 600 applies, at least conceptually, to the multimedia eventsdatabase 100 of the server 106. However, in some other embodiments,database structure 600 may also apply to the local database 420 of arespective client 102. One or more map functions 602 may be called uponto acquire information from the database 600. The database structure 600includes storage for low resolution information 604, medium resolutioninformation 606, and high resolution information 608. Each of thesetypes of information which may be accessed by the server 106 for sendingto a client 102 in response to a client request for information of thattype.

Upon receiving a request, such as a search query, from a client, lowresolution information corresponding to the request is acquired from themultimedia events database 110 and is sent to the client. The lowresolution information is used to display basic information aboutmultimedia events that correspond to the request. For example, the lowresolution information sent to the client (or a portion of the lowresolution information sent to the client) may be displayed in the mainmap 308 (FIG. 3) of a landing page or search results page, as describedabove. Since the main map 308 can only display events that fall within acurrently specified time period, any low resolution information that issent to the client, but which is for times earlier or later than thecurrently specified time period is not initially displayed on the mainmap 308. In other words, the client may prefetch low resolutioninformation for events outside the currently specified time window. Forexample, if the beginning of the currently specified time windowcorresponds to the current time, the client may prefetch low resolutioninformation for a next time window, immediately following the currentlyspecified time window, so that the user will experience zero or almostzero latency when the user scrolls the time window of the main map“forward” (to a future time window). All the downloaded eventinformation is stored in the local database 420 of the client (FIG. 4).When the user scrolls the time window backwards or forwards on the mainmap 308, prefetched low resolution already stored at the client can beimmediately displayed on the main grid 308. Additionally, mediumresolution information corresponding to the low resolution informationbeing displayed on the main map may also be prefetched.

The medium resolution information is data that is displayed when a userhovers a pointer over a television show title that is being displayed onthe main map. Therefore, if the medium resolution information for aparticular event is prefetched, when the user hovers a pointer over theevent title (e.g., a television show title), the medium resolutioninformation is displayed without latency. Medium resolution informationmay include channel, duration, time of broadcast and other types ofinformation about the television show.

The high resolution information is data that is displayed when a userselects an event title (e.g., a television show title) displayed on themain map 308. In some embodiments, the high resolution information isdisplayed in an iframe (also called an inline frame) that partiallyobscures the landing page or search results page, but leaves the landingpage or search results page in place in the client application. Seeexemplary schematic screenshot in FIG. 3E. The user can return to thelanding page or search results page by closing the iframe 356 orclicking on a portion of the landing page that is not covered by theiframe.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of a database structure according to otherembodiments of the present invention. For example, this databasestructure may be used in either the server 106, or a respective client102, or both. In this embodiment, a multimedia events database or localdatabase contain a set of events 612. The data representing an event maybe found in the database by the use of one or more mapping functions onindices 602. For example, a respective mapping function or index may mapan event identifier to an event record, or set of records, in thedatabase. A respective event in the set of events has corresponding lowresolution event information 614, medium resolution event information616, and high resolution event information 618. While most events in thedatabase may have all three sets of information, it is possible thatsome events in the database will be devoid of high resolutioninformation 618, or even medium resolution information.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method, performed by acomputer system having one or more processors and memory storing one ormore programs for execution by the one or more processors, the methodcomprising: presenting information representing a plurality oftime-bounded events in (i) a first grid and (ii) a second grid, wherein(A) the first grid has a first size, and the first grid represents afirst set of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-boundedevents, and (B) the second grid has a second size smaller than the firstsize, the second grid represents a second set of time-bounded events inthe plurality of time-bounded events, and the second set of time-boundedevents includes a greater number of time-bounded events than the firstset of time-bounded events.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theinformation representing a plurality of time-bound events is responsiveto a search query, wherein the search results of the search query arepresented in the second grid and a subset of the search results ispresented in the first grid using a predefined scheme for visuallyidentifying the search results and a subset of the search results. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined scheme is a color schemefor displaying different subsets of the search results using differentcolors.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined scheme is ahighlighting scheme for displaying different subsets of the searchresults using highlighting methods.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe information representing a plurality of time-bound events isresponsive to a search query, wherein the search results are presentedin the second grid using a predefined scheme for visually distinguishingthe search results in accordance with relevance to the search query; andevents presented in the first grid that correspond to the search resultsare visually distinguish in accordance with the predefined scheme. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined scheme includes visualdistinctions between search results having different levels ofrelevance.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality oftime-bounded events comprises scheduled presentations of multimediacontent.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time-boundedevents comprises television shows scheduled for broadcast in apredefined time period.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein an axis of thefirst grid corresponds to television channels and an axis of the secondgrid corresponds to time.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of time-bounded events comprises data resulting from a searchof a database in accordance with a search query.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein the search query is a user specified search query.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the search query comprises a predefinedsearch query.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: respondingto a user action of hovering a pointer over time-bounded event displayedin the second grid by displaying additional information corresponding tothe time-bounded event.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprisingacquiring additional data from a server corresponding to the displayedadditional information.
 15. A system for presenting informationrepresenting a plurality of time-bounded events, comprising: memory; oneor more processors; and one or more modules stored in memory andconfigured for execution by the one or more processors, the one ormodules comprising instructions for: presenting the informationrepresenting the plurality of time-bounded events in (i) a first gridand (ii) a second grid, wherein (A) the first grid has a first size, andthe first grid represents a first set of time-bounded events in theplurality of time-bounded events, and (B) the second grid has a secondsize smaller than the first size, the second grid represents a secondset of time-bounded events in the plurality of time-bounded events, andthe second set of time-bounded events includes a greater number oftime-bounded events than the first set of time-bounded events.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the information representing a plurality oftime-bound events is responsive to a search query, wherein the searchresults of the search query are presented in the second grid and asubset of the search results is presented in the first grid using apredefined scheme for visually identifying the search results and asubset of the search results.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein thepredefined scheme includes visual distinctions between search resultshaving different levels of relevance.
 18. The system of claim 15,wherein the plurality of time-bounded events comprises scheduledpresentations of multimedia content.
 19. The system of claim 15, whereinthe plurality of time-bounded events comprises television showsscheduled for broadcast in a predefined time period.
 20. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or moreprograms for execution by one or more processors of a computer systemfor presenting information representing a plurality of time-boundedevents, the one or more programs comprising instructions for: presentingthe information representing the plurality of time-bounded events in (i)a first grid and (ii) a second grid, wherein (A) the first grid has afirst size, and the first grid represents a first set of time-boundedevents in the plurality of time-bounded events, and (B) the second gridhas a second size smaller than the first size, the second gridrepresents a second set of time-bounded events in the plurality oftime-bounded events, and the second set of time-bounded events includesa greater number of time-bounded events than the first set oftime-bounded events.